The Dark Crystal (1982)

The Dark Crystal is a 1982 dark fantasy film directed by Jim Henson and Frank Oz, produced by Gary Kurtz and Henson, with a screenplay by David Odell based on a story conceived by Henson. The film was produced and financed by ITC Entertainment and The Jim Henson Company and distributed by Universal Pictures. It features the voices of Stephen Garlick, Lisa Maxwell, Billie Whitelaw, Percy Edwards, and Barry Dennen. Set on a fictional planet, the film revolves around Jen and Kira, two Gelflings on a quest to restore balance to the world of Thra and overthrow the evil, ruling Skeksis by restoring a powerful broken Crystal.

The film was promoted as the first major live-action motion picture without any human actors, featuring characters realized through groundbreaking animatronics created by Jim Henson's Creature Shop. Many creatures, such as the Gelflings, required as many as four puppeteers to achieve full movement and expression. In addition to directing, Henson and Oz also performed several characters alongside regular Muppets collaborators Kathryn Mullen, Dave Goelz, Steve Whitmire, and Louise Gold. The primary concept artist was fantasy illustrator Brian Froud, famous for his distinctive fairy and dwarf designs; Froud later collaborated with Henson on his subsequent fantasy film Labyrinth (1986). The film score was composed by Trevor Jones.

The Dark Crystal initially received mixed reviews from mainstream critics; while being criticized for its darker, more dramatic tone in contrast to Henson's previous works, it was praised for its narrative, production design, and characters. Over the years, it has been re-evaluated by critics and has garnered a cult following.

An Emmy Award-winning prequel television series, The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, premiered on Netflix in 2019 and ran for one season.